What's the difference between Cat5 and Cat6?

Cat5 and Cat6 are both types of twisted pair cables that are used for Ethernet networking. The main difference between the two is their performance characteristics.

Cat5 cables are designed to support speeds up to 100Mbps and frequencies of up to 100 MHz. They use four twisted pairs of copper wire to transmit data and are suitable for most common network applications, such as connecting computers and printers to a network.

Cat6 cables, on the other hand, are designed to support higher speeds and frequencies. They are able to handle speeds up to 10 Gbps and frequencies of up to 250 MHz. This makes them suitable for applications that require faster data transfer rates, such as streaming high-definition video or transferring large files.

Additionally, Cat6 cables have a higher signal-to-noise ratio compared to Cat5. This means that they are better at reducing interference from other electronic devices and are less likely to be affected by crosstalk, which is the interference that occurs when signals from different wires in the same cable interfere with each other.

Another difference between Cat5 and Cat6 is that, Cat6 cables have thicker gauge and are made with a higher quality of copper wire. This, together with the improved shielding, makes Cat6 cables more durable and less prone to wear and tear.

In summary, Cat5 cables are suitable for most common network applications that don't require high-speed data transfer or high-frequency response. While, Cat6 cables are suitable for applications that require faster data transfer rates, such as streaming high-definition video or transferring large files and also have better durability, noise reduction, and can handle more frequency